Variety traits

Ploidy of the European Plum

Prunus domestica L.

The European plum (Prunus domestica L.) is a hexaploid species with a karyotype of 2n = 48 chromosomes, which originated from the hybridization of cherry plum and blackthorn. This genetic status determines the biological characteristics of the species and its barriers to interspecific crossing.

In the reference 14 varieties crop European plum, where this is mentioned in the description.

The European plum is classified as a hexaploid, which accounts for its stable chromosome set of 2n = 48. This trait is a fundamental species characteristic that arose from the doubling of the chromosome number in a hybrid resulting from the cross between diploid cherry plum (2n = 16) and tetraploid blackthorn (2n = 32).

The ploidy of the crop directly affects breeding efforts and orchard agrotechnical planning. Specifically, the hexaploid nature of the species creates significant barriers when pollinating the European plum with diploid species, such as the Japanese plum or cherry plum. To ensure successful fruit set, it is necessary to select pollinator varieties belonging to the same ploidy group.

The biological properties inherited from its parents during the hexaploid formation determine the adaptive qualities of the European plum, including its winter hardiness and the timing of the onset of fruiting. In modern practice, cytogenetic methods of chromosome counting or molecular markers are used to identify genetic features and analyze diversity.

General information about the subject — on the page Ploidy.

Sources8

Varieties of European plum mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.